Michael Chereda began an exploration into typography in 2012, in large part to develop the specific design elements he found lacking in the designs that were already available on the market. “I always wanted to improve something, change it, make it for myself,” Michael told us.
At the time, he was not yet skilled in the art of typography, but he certainly didn’t let that stop him from trying. His first attempt was named Casper, after the popular cartoon character, and it was a learning experience, to say the least. “It was a very naive attempt to create a font,” Michael mused. “I gathered all the elements that I liked in other fonts and blended out one font.” Casper turned out to be an eclectic combination of geometric, static, and humanistic (among other) styles, but like most artists, Michael looks back upon his first type design with humor, extending gratitude toward the project that launched his interest in typography.
These days, Michael runs BrightHead Studio, a multidisciplinary design studio in the beautiful and historic city of Yekaterinburg, Russia. “In every new font project I try to learn, discover something new,” he expressed. Michael gains new experience and knowledge through every project, applying everything he’s learned to the work that follows. In this manner, he ensures that his work will continually mature because, as he told us, “Each subsequent font should be better than the previous one.”
BrightHead Studio is a new foundry to YouWorkForThem and we’re excited to introduce the first addition to their portfolio. Studio Sans is a contemporary sans serif derived from the classic design elements of mid-twentieth century and the Swiss school of type design. Minimalist without being stark, Studio Sans delivers its message with a friendly and approachable demeanor.
Studio Sans’ conception began when Michael wished to develop an exclusive font for the branding of BrightHead Studio, one that would translate well into presentations, business cards, corporate materials, and its website (currently under development). “I knew at once how and where I would use it and what characteristics it should possess,” he explained, and the result was a versatile, open, and friendly Neo-Grotesque font.
Michael particularly enjoyed the beginning stages of Studio Sans’ design process, taking care during its construction to reveal the personality of each and every glyph. Looking at his process through the eyes of a graphic designer rather than a font designer, Michael pays special attention to the purity of the contours and the rhythm, ever careful of sustaining the font’s basic style.
Studio Sans offers clear legibility, even in small point, making it an excellent choice for projects that require design cohesion through multiple media applications. It’s a fresh, modern choice for everything from business cards, logos, letterhead, corporate communications, product packaging, labels, web content, headlines, editorials, publishing, and mobile apps.
Studio Sans is available in six weights that range from ExtraLight to ExtraBold, with a host of additional features that include case-sensitive forms, discretionary ligatures, standard ligatures, fractions, slashed zero, and oldstyle figures offering glyphs for currency and interest. Multilingual support extends to Basic Latin, Western European, Euro, Baltic, Turkish, Central European, Pan African Latin, and Basic Cyrillic for global accessibility.
BrightHead Studio currently offers just one product through their portfolio on YouWorkForThem, although Michael is currently working on Studio Mono, a continuation of Studio Sans. He explained that Studio Mono will follow the same weight structure as its predecessor, ranging from ExtraThin to Extra Black, and he intends to carefully preserve and adapt the features of the original.
We wish him all the best with his work and we’re looking forward to his next release!
